Spectre's Gift
by ImaginaryVeil
Summary: Lace is a normal EarthRealm girl, who like most EarthRealm people, do not know of other Realms or Mortal Kombat. So what happens when there is an invasion of strange men with bladed arms? What do you do when you've allied yourself with Quan Chi and Scorpion, and your only brother, who has been missing for four years, is Sub-Zero.
1. Beginnings

"YOUR MOTHER!"

"Love you too, Alec. Bye." Lace hung up to one of her most intolerable 'friends'. She sighed and put her headphones in, laying back on her bed. She'd much prefer being outside and doing…well…anything, but the weather had been stubborn lately.

She scrolled through her songs and sighed once more. Her group at college hadn't exactly been swerving the bumps, and it was putting a lot of stress on her—depression, self-consciousness, pessimism _yadda yadda_. She had found herself thinking really uncomfortable thoughts. How did she get rid of them? By blasting them out with music, of course! And it worked.

Sort of.

"Finally." She whispered as she found a good song. As the song started playing, she looked out of her window. If you were to personify the wind, you'd say that it was beating the crap out of an apple tree and robbing it of its leaves. She laughed and closed her eyes, listening to her music.

_Hey kid! Do I have your attention? I know the way ya been livin'.  
Life so reckless, tragedy endless  
Welcome to the Family!  
Hey! There's something missin'! Only time will alter your vision.  
Never in question, lethal injection  
Welcome to the—_

**BANG**

She opened her eyes and ripped the headphones out of her ears. She looked around in bewilderment, then started laughing once she found the source of the noise.

She ran to the window and gazed at the defeated tree. "You're a freaking 20 foot tree! As if the wind is that strong!" she said and shook her head. She was turning away when she saw something under the tree.

_Oh God_.

She ran down the stairs of the apartment at a speed that would make Superman proud and straight out into the cold. She had no trouble getting to the tree—it was next to her window, but the body that was there earlier had disappeared. She searched under the branches and through the leaves—but nothing was there.

She stood back and frowned.

"Everything alright, dear?" she turned around to find her elderly neighbour looking at her with worry.

"Yes, Mrs Han. Everything is ok."

The old lady walked towards her. "I saw it too. The body." She said and Lace nodded in appreciation. They stared at the tree for a few more moments, then Lace began to shiver. She noticed Mrs Han looking at her, and smiled.

"It's been very cold lately." She stated bluntly.

The old lady nodded. "My son would love this weather."

Lace looked away. She rarely spoke of her son, and when she did, it was about him and the cold.

"Would you like to come over and have some tea?" Her neighbour offered. Lace smiled.

"I'd be delighted."

-o808o-

"More sugar, Lacrymosa?"

"Thank you, ma'am." Mrs Han was one of the only people that called her by her full name. The other two being her mother—which went missing two years ago, and her older brother, Kuai, who had gotten lost in a snow storm.

Every here and there, she would come over to Mrs Han's and keep her company—but for an old lady with a deceased husband and one child that never visits, she seems happy and content.

As she sat down, Lace couldn't help but ask. "Mrs Han?"

"Yes dear?"

"What is…how does…why doesn't your son visit you?" At this, the lady sighed.

"He…has other things to do."

Lace looked down. She could never get a true answer from Mrs Han. No matter how secretive she was or how hard she tried.

She went on through the rest of the afternoon with her neighbour, talking about textiles and jewels, when they somehow got to the topic of ethereal beings and extra-terrestrials.

"Mark my words, Lacrymosa, there are things in our universe that either prefer to keep hidden or want to control us." Lace smiled unsurely. These subjects are the ones she tried to avoid. She didn't deny them, but tried to keep away.

She had seen her share of spirits and strange men, and she would struggle to sleep the nights that followed.

"Have you seen anything otherworldly, ma'am?"

Mrs Han studied her cup. "Indeed." Was all she said. Silence fell on them.

_Way to kill the moment, Lace._ She thought. Breaking the silence, she set her cup down and rose from her chair.

"I should be leaving. It's getting late." She checked the time after she said that, and it was only four in the afternoon.

Mrs Han nodded. "Come back any time." She said smiling warmly, and Lace left.

She never really knew how to leave someone's house, and she didn't know if she should've helped put the tea cups away, but she was already heading towards the pizzeria across the road, so there was no point of thinking about it now.

When she opened the door, she immediately smelt the familiar scent of wood-fire and spices. The room was warm, and there was a fair bit of people, but she managed to get a spot on the window alone.

After a few minutes the waitress, Kate, came and took her orders, and she knew she was going to have to wait five centuries and a day until her order actually got to the chef, so she took her headphones out and looked through her playlist. It was raining outside, and she wasn't really bothered for Thrash or Rock n Roll, so she turned to an artist she hadn't listened to for a while.

Evanescence.

Like always, she couldn't decide on what to listen to, so she looked outside for inspiration. The first thing she saw was cars and pedestrians. She shook her head and smiled. Past the sea of people and cars was the fallen tree outside of her apartment. Council workers had already come to clear the place up. Unexpectedly, however, raindrops began to come through the window.

_Listen To The Rain it is. _She thought, and chose her song.

She was studying the table, the patterns of the wood, when she felt the floor vibrate. She frowned for a few moments, then went back to noting the table's textures. This time it wasn't a rumble that distracted her, it was the people. Outside _and_ inside the pizzeria, people were staring and pointing at a…she didn't know what it was, so she herself stood up and went outside. And only then did she realise that it was a portal.

As the opening reached it's full size, men with razor teeth and bladed arms came running through.

"Maybe we should talk to them." A lady next to her said, and ran up-to one. "Excuse me-" the man looked at her, and without hesitation, he cut her head off.

_Yes, let's all go talk to them. I'm sure they'll co-oper_**cutyourheadoff**! Lace thought, and ran.

Five minutes previously, she was sitting, waiting for her pizza. Now, she was running in a random direction away from—she stopped.

Extra-terrestrials. She had had a conversation earlier in the day about them.

_Could it be a coincidence?_ She wondered. She will never find the answer, as one of the savage men appeared in front of her, and she stumbled backwards. She was backing away, when she fell something against her back. She looked up, and found an albino looking down at her.

She gasped and ran forwards.

"Baraka. Leave." The albino said to the other man, and to her surprise, he left. She looked at the man in front of her.

"You…know those creatures?" she said, confused. Besides the ultra-pale skin, the man looked human. He nodded.

"Indeed." He looked at her. "Your eyes-"

"Yeah, I know, their violet." She said, backing away from him. Relentlessly, he came closer.

"What is your name?" he asked.

_Where is your accent from?_ She wanted to ask. Instead, she looked down.  
"Why should I tell you?"

The man smiled. "Because I can keep you safe."


	2. Lin Kuei

She had to take her chances—more of the men (whom she had learned were named Tarkartan) were coming through, centaurs and four-armed people following them. She stayed as close to Quan Chi as she could, following his orders and providing as much information as she could. She still wasn't sure on whether or not he was human, but so far he was the closest thing to one.

All the citizens of her area were either dead or nearly so. Which made her think—why was she so special? Why was he protecting her? He eyed her as if he could hear her thoughts.  
She shivered. Never had she thought that these people were real. Besides his name, Lace had found out that he was a Sorcerer—a Necromancer to be precise, and apparently he had already successfully raised two spirits.

One of which was staring at her now.

"Saibot," Quan Chi began. "Take her to Nekros, make sure that she is tended to and is kept safe. You'll find that you have some…interesting similarities." Saibot bowed and turned to her.

"Follow me." He said and began to walk. She looked at Quan Chi one last time and did as she was told. Eventually they came to the dead-end of their track, and with a wave of his hands, Saibot opened a portal.

"Show-off." She muttered and he spun to her immediately. She looked down and mumbled a thank you before nearing the portal. She looked at it cluelessly, then at him with the same expression.

"What do I do now?" she asked, as if she was a first grader looking at a complex scientific equation. He crossed his arms. She blushed and looked down quickly. Biting her lips she looked at the portal. After a few more moments of oblivion, she looked back at him.

"Umm…I still don't know what to do." Although she was facing him, her eyes were looking down, and as she dared to look up he raised an eyebrow.

"And what are our similarities exactly?" he stated. She shrugged cautiously. He looked at her in a way that made her want to cry, then grabbed her by the arm and took her through the portal.

.

When she heard the word 'Nekros', she though that it would've been an ancient Greek or Roman city, with fountains and happy people. A city that was built of marble and gleamed with heavenly light…

Never had she been so wrong.

From what she understood, Nekros was one of the major cities in the NetherRealm, which to put bluntly, was Hell. It was built by Sorcerers some 28 million years ago as a safe haven and energy regenerating home. Saibot, whose full name was Noob Saibot, led her to one of the inns. After seeing twenty men with no arms, twelve winged demons eating rotting meat and seventeen legless bodies, she didn't know what to expect. And when the door opened, everyone turned to see the new girl. Silence built in the room, and she could hear her breathing as she followed Noob to the counter. The…thing standing there looked at them.

"We need a room." As soon as Noob finished his line, Lace stared at him open-eyedly and shook her head. Seeing this, the half/man half demon smirked.

"Fresh meat, eh?" he seized her hand and felt her arms. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've seen skin like yours?"

Lace blinked. "An afterlife?"

The creature looked at her angrily. "I'm not dead-!"

Before he could harm her Noob spoke. "She is under the protection of the Brotherhood. Lay a finger on her and you _will _be dead." Lace looked at him gratefully, but if he noticed she didn't know.

The demon gave them a key and Noob led her up to the room. Once they were in, he shut the door and sat her down.

"Don't waste my time." He started. "Why is Quan Chi protecting you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. He said something about similarities and-"

"Don't insult me." He said defensively. "If there were any similarities between us I would've known by now."

She didn't know whether or not to be offended. "Perhaps we're related?"

He chuckled. "Unlikely. There's no resemblance whatsoever."

There was silence. Breaking it, she shook her head. "Is Noob Saibot your real name?"

He looked at her as if she knew a secret, and she was quite shocked when he said "No."  
"It is my name in the afterlife. My real name and it are nothing alike."

She frowned. "So then what was your name?"

He looked at her emotionlessly. "Bi Han."

At this she stood up. Seeing her reaction he tilted his head.

"Did you…like the cold?" she asked.

"Like it? I was the cold. I was the Grandmaster of a group of cyromanic assassins in Arktica called the Lin Kuei." She looked down. "Why do you ask?"

She stared at her feet. "I…my neighbour has—or had—a son…she said he was very fond of the cold and-"

He frowned and stepped forward "What is your neighbour's name?" he cut.

She looked at him. "Lin Han."  
She saw the light in his eyes flicker. After a few moments, however, he sighed and dismissed the issue.

Once again, he asked. "What is it that makes you so valuable to Quan Chi?"

She shook her head and looked to the side. "I don't know." She said.  
The light from the window shone in her eyes, and Noob noticed their colour.

He folder his arms. "Your eyes…"

"They're violet. Surprise." He looked at her a little more cautiously now.

"What is _your_ name?" He asked.

She waited a few seconds. "Lacrymosa." She said. "Lacrymosa Liang."

His eyes widened. "Liang…" he muttered, looking to the side. Once he received his epiphany, he looked back at her.

"I knew someone else who had purple eyes." He said, obviously holding something back. "Do you have any siblings?"

She nodded. "One older brother. But he got lost in a snow storm."

Noob eyed her. "Your brother wouldn't happen to be Kuai Liang…?"

She looked at him surprised. "How did you know?" she asked, shock filled in her voice.

He sighed and turned around. "He was my successor."

-o808o-

"I must warn you, if you tell Scorpion about Kuai being Sub-Zero, you will not be a happy person."

"But why did you kill his clan-"

"I DIDN'T!" He screamed. Looking at her expression he sighed. "I was framed. I don't even know who did it."

She looked down. "I'm sorry. For everything—the trouble I've been and-"

"It's nothing." He said. "Come, I'll show you around."

.

When Lacrymosa had been told that Heaven and Hell were endless, she found it very hard to believe. Now, however, endless might be a _slightly_ too useless word.

Not much.

Just a lot.

While walking she couldn't help but look around. It was strange. It was real—she knew it was real, but it was like a _really_ bad dream. Every few metres her eyes past she look back down, either from the shock of seeing so many tortured bodies, or out of boredom (of seeing so many tortured bodies).

After a while they reached a building.

"This is Scorpion's lair. It is about time you meet him." She nodded in appreciation and followed him inside.

They walked through a long, stone hallway, until they got to a round room where there was a man in yellow honing on his martial arts. He stopped once he saw them and bowed as they came.

In the centre of the floor was the symbol of the Shirai Ryu, and that was where they were standing.

"Scorpion, this is Lacrymosa. Lacrymosa, this is Scorpion."


	3. Shirai Ryu

Her heart fell. As she looked at him, the first thing she noticed was the voidness in his eyes. Out of respect, she bowed, and was surprised when he did the same.

"Quan Chi has ordered us to keep her in Nekros until further notice." Noob explained. That was seemingly enough—they nodded at each-other as if they had had a long conversation and understood the terms thoroughly.

Scorpion spoke. "The Brotherhood needs a leader in their next ceremony—which will be held earlier than scheduled. Shinnok has requested that you lead the Mass' until Quan Chi returns." Noob nodded and said a quick thank-you before turning around and leaving her with Scorpion. Her eyes followed him down the hallway, and once he was gone, she looked at the claw of the scorpion painting on the floor.

"Shirai Ryu." Scorpion said, and she looked up at him. He, however, was still looking at the picture. "This was our symbol."

"A scorpion." She murmured. He looked at her, and she at him.

"I was one of their greatest assassins—hence my name."

She looked at him as if she knew nothing. "Was?"

He looked at her sadly and nodded. "Was."

-o808o-

He took her to a less _hellish_ part of the NetherRealm. They sat down on the only bloodless boulders, and from there, questions flooded out of her.

"So…you're alive…but dead?"

Scorpion nodded. "I am undead. A wraith."

She looked at him blankly. When his eyes trailed away (from what she felt was uncomfort), she felt guilty. "I'm sorry. I…I never thought that these things were real." He looked back at her.  
He had explained his situation, so it was only fair that she explained hers. "Two hours ago, I was waiting for my pizza—which, come to think of it, is probably still not ready." Even though he was wearing a mouth-mask, she could see his smile in the eyes he didn't have.  
She went on, "My whole life, I was told that spirits, and vampyrs—and GOD_S_—weren't real. And…and when the portal opened…" she realised that she'd been living a lie. She paused, afraid that if she'd go on, tears would fall like rain.

He looked down. "The Realms are not for those without knowledge." He stated. "My whole life, I was convinced that I was to serve a greater purpose; I had assassin blood." There was a pause of what seemed like eternity, then finally, he went on.  
"My father forbade me to join the Shirai Ryu. But I had to—my family needed the help. My wife was tired and my son was ill." He closed his eyes and whispered their names.

She sniffed. "At least your son would've had a father." She studied her palms. "I never knew mine."

He looked at her with pity. "But I never knew my son." She looked at him. "I was away from my family all the time. The only time when I ever saw Takeo was when he was asleep." He paused.  
"The last time I saw him, he was also asleep. And from then on, I knew he would keep sleeping—forever."

A shiver went up her spine. While Noob had explained the crisis, she realised that the information given was bias—he had told her the events from the Lin Kuei's perspective. But now that she had heard the Shirai Ryu's side, she realised that this problem was caused by neither of the clans. Well, partly the Shirai Ryu; Scorpion had told her that the first member was an outcast of the Lin Kuei, though she strongly felt that this was the wrong way to seek justice.

She couldn't help but think: Is my brother a part of this? Does he seek to kill Scorp—how can you kill something that is already dead?

"By erasing their soul from existence." She turned around to see Quan Chi looking at them with slight amusement. She rose to greet him, but he walked past her.

He said something to Scorpion in another language. The latter nodded and looked at her warmly, before disappeared in a whirl of flames. Quan Chi turned to her, and after a minute of studying her, he spoke.

"Follow me." He said.  
By now, she felt like a rag doll, being passed around from person to person, but she followed him relentlessly.

He led her to a castle.

A gothic-looking castle.

A gothic church, with gargoyles—REAL gargoyles. As she followed Quan Chi inside, they looked down on her, snarling nastily. She looked down the whole time, think of her life on Earth. Correction—in EarthRealm. She shook her head and let memories fill her.

The last time she saw her home, it was being destroyed. The buildings, the people…everything she knew.

How were her friends coping? How were Alec, and Mike, and Stacey…how was Mrs Han? God forbid…no…the Gods forbid…

_**Just**__ Gods? Dream on, kiddo._

The _Elder Gods_ forbid, they might have been killed. She gulped. Looking at Quan Chi, she finally asked;  
"Quan? How are…will I ever be able to go back to Earth Realm? Are my friends okay?"

There was no answer.

She looked ahead and decided to keep her mouth shut. But for her, that was really boring, so she looked around, studying the carvings on the ceiling and the dark paintings on the walls. One of the pictures showed a sinister looking man, looking at a dark hole in the clouds, shining light onto…a gem?

'_Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.  
Shine on you crazy diamond.'_

The next few scenes were of a war; and everyone was involved. There were men with swords, men in shackles, and even someone playing wind instruments.

'_Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner and shine!'_

The last was the most haunting, a _**God**_, falling from Grace. It looked like the sky had cracked open and that he was being carried down by wind as hard as metal.

'_You wore out your welcome, with random precision,  
rode on the steel breeze…'_

Quan Chi noticed her staring at the artworks, and sped up.

Eventually, they came to a door. A large, marble door and it opened as they neared. Inside, the first thing she saw was a throne. It was massive, beautiful and elegant, but dripping with evil. To the far left of the throne was a balcony, where a clown stood looking at the scenery. She stood where she was told, and when the clown walked in, Quan Chi introduced him.

This is Lord Shinnok, the Elder God of Death."

HA! SHE THOUGHT HE WAS A CLOWN!  
_So you think you could tell Heaven from Hell?_

He looked at her questioningly.  
"You have seen the paintings? Correct?"

She nodded respectfully. "Indeed, Sire."

He nodded three times. "What is your name?"

She looked at him blankly. "Lacrymosa. Liang."

He smiled. "How would feel if I told you that you play a role in my plans?"

"Blessed." She said, stunned.

He smiled. "Then listen closely."

_**Shine on, you crazy diamond.**_


	4. Heart or Blood

Lace gazed up at the sky of lavender and burgundy. The morning sun had finally decided to reveal itself, and it sent rays of glory through-out the forest, its shades and vibrancy enhanced by the ripples of clouds that spread across the heavens like endless wings. But the only problem was, too many wings in the sky makes you lose the one you're after.

The turquois dragon they had been following disappeared into the veil of clouds.

Now, back in EarthRealm, Lace had heard her share of swears, but what came out of the Brotherhood warrior would put any man to shame.  
Scorpion, who was in the lead, turned around and looked at her, then at the soldier.

"Is there a problem, Jerem?" he said to the fuming demon.

The latter looked at him furiously and shouted "This is the fifth fucking time that we have lost that goddamned son of a bitch. I don't have enough mortality to put up with this shit!"

Lace blinked. "But-"

"Don't 'but' me little girl, it's your fault he went off."

She stood defensively. "What did I do?"

"If you wouldn't have kept looking up then he mightn't have known that we were following him."

"Is there a law against me looking up?"

"I've been trying to pass that legislation since this morning."

She was about to say something when Scorpion interrupted.  
"Don't. We're too close to the Lin Kuei hideaway; they'll hear us."

The two gave up and continued to walk along the pathway.  
The further they ventured into the forest, the more the place felt lifeless. The trees had shifted from their lively glow of evergreen and had turned into dying groups of charcoal branches. The snow had become harder and slightly deeper, and Lace had the feeling that they were being watched. Eventually, they came to a split path, and she was relieved to find that Jerem's mission wasn't entirely related to theirs, and that he wasn't coming with them the whole way. As they parted ways, she quickly glanced back to him, and wasn't surprised when he instantly gave her the finger.

She shook her head and turned around.

"We're very close," Scorpion stated. Though it was a bit obvious—there were old Lin Kuei banners dancing in the wind in front of them, with a sign that read _'Trespassers will be executed._'

"Hmph." She murmured. "What happened to prosecution?" She found it quite unfair that clueless travellers would get killed because of their tread on Lin Kuei land…or snow…whatever.

Scorpion looked at her and nodded, and she 'fell' to the ground and screamed.

"Let go of me!" she wailed, but the sad reality was, he wasn't even touching her. He shook his head, and said "Make it believable, we want to get _captured_, not _laughed at_."

She nodded and 'braced' herself. "Please, don't hurt me!"

He grabbed her by the arm and raised her to him. "WHERE IS IT?" Scorpion bellowed. "Where have you hidden it?"

"I...I don't know what you're talking about…"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" he threw her to the ground harshly, but in a way that she wouldn't get hurt. He drew his sword.

Lace hugged her knees 'nervously'.

"The Crystal, where IS IT? Where are you keeping it?"

"I-it's not with me."

With-out hesitation, he pointed the sword to her throat.  
"Then with who?"

She looked down. "It…it was with friend…the last time I saw it."

"And what is this friend's name?" he asked 'tauntingly'.

When he saw no answer, he shook his head. "You disgust me." He said, and raised his sword for the 'final blow'.

As he brought it down, it was struck out of his hands by a frozen shuriken. His head snapped towards the direction of the thrower and he attacked. But as they were fighting, a whole group of Lin Kuei warriors ran out from behind the trees and circled around him. He was out-numbered—seven to one, though he handled the situation with ease. Within ten seconds, he had knocked an assassin unconscious, tore off the arm of another and degraded their leader to ash.

That left four Lin Kuei.

He grabbed his blade and slashed at the others without effort. She watched him attentively, looking at his skill and strength, watching him obliterate members of his nemesis clan…

…_and my brother's home._ She thought.  
But it was as clear as crystal; he was better trained than them—he had more agility and precision, more focus. His build was larger and more suited to a warrior's lifestyle.  
She studied his features as he fought—his eyes were narrowed and attentive to his surroundings. His moves were less random and more precise, more lethal than the Lin Kuei's, and he was a lot swifter…a lot more perfect.

Her eyes relaxed and she sighed in admiration.  
She shook her head. _No._ She thought. _This can't happen. Kuai would kill me immediately._

But she couldn't help it. She watched Scorpion; watched him pour redness over the white ground, watched him end the lives of those who were so close to her, watched him risk his life for the purpose his master would not make clear.

She watched _him_. Not her brother's students, not her supposed-to-be warrior comrades, not the cold assassins who shared the same blood with her.  
_How will I explain myself?_

Time blurred, and she found that the tables had turned. Her heart dropped with Scorpion's fall. He laid still for what seemed like eternity, and she felt tears well up behind her eyes…

_Please, move!  
_There could have been no better timing—he moved his arm slightly.

_Thank the Elder Gods_.

The three remaining assassins nodded and lifted him. One turned to her.

"It is nearly nightfall." He said. "Perhaps you should come with us as well; there may be more Shirai Ryu dogs in our lands." Scorpion winced at the sound of his deceased clan. "Though, if there is a reason for you not to, you are more than welcome to leave."

_A reason? Does that include falling in love with my brother's arch-rival?_

"Thank you," she said. "I would feel safer if I stayed the night."

-o808o-

They waited at the door of the senior training grounds, where the grandmaster had just finished teaching his higher students a series of movements. One by one they bowed and left the room, and that was when they walked in.

Her Lin Kuei 'escorts' bowed respectfully and forced Scorpion to his knees.  
"Grandmaster Sub-zero," one said as they rose, and Lace stared at the stranger in front of her.  
_Kuai?_  
"We found this mongrel on our outskirts; he attacked this girl, questioned her about a gem. What shall we do with him, Master?"

It took a moment for him to answer, which was very unlike the rash, hasty Kuai she grew up with.

"Keep him in a cell. I will decide his fate later."

"And the girl?"

Kuai looked at her. "She will stay with me—she has questions to answer."

The assassins bowed once more, before taking Scorpion away. He looked at her when they reached the doorway, as if saying _'Do you remember what to do?'_, and she nodded slightly.

Once they left, she turned back to her brother, but kept her eyes on the floor.

"Are you right to answer to me now? Do you need rest?" her eyes lifted to meet his gaze.

"I am fine now, thank you."

There was a moment of silence.  
"First question,"  
She felt her heart pound. There were no guards around, but she felt someone's eyes burning into her sides.

She looked at him nervously, but saw a small smile light his eyes. He looked to the side.

"Smoke, Frost, I would like some privacy with our guest." The two ninjas unveiled form their invisibility, bowed, then left the room.

_Somebody really_ was _watching me._

He turned back to her. "Do you know who I am?"

She looked at him blankly, pretending not to know anything.  
"You are the Grandmaster." Her eyes trailed to the side, as if thinking. "Sub-zero?"

He nodded, the smile fading from his face. "Is there anything else you know?"

She shook her head. He looked down, disappointed. Sighing, he took his mask off.

"What about now?"

She gasped. Despite the fact that she already knew who he was, she felt tears threaten her eyes.

"Kuai?"

He nodded. "Yes, Lacrymosa; it's me, your big brother."

-o808o-

He took her to another room. She found more comfort in this one—the floor was carpeted with royal blue material. There were pillows against the walls and bean bags in the centre of the room, which were a lot more comfortable for the back than the ice stone. She was served tea—of herbs she didn't even know of, and from there, they spoke as they used to.

"But why didn't you come back? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It is against Lin Kuei cardinal to have such interactions with the outer world."

"But Kuai, you were all I had left. We never knew our father, and mother disappeared a few years ago-"

"No, Lacrymosa. Mother was killed—by the hands of the Shirai Ryu."

She froze.  
"How?"

Kuai sighed. "In time." He said, lying back on the pillowed wall. She looked at him, her mind trying to filter the more important questions from the ones that would make him suspicious.

"Kuai?"

"Yes?" he said with his eyes closed.

"You said that you took the name 'Sub-zero' from Bi Han, yeah?"

"Yes…"

She turned to him. "What was your original code-name?"

There was a moment of silence.  
"Tundra."

She choked on her tea. He looked at her as she laughed, half wanting to join in, half confused.

"What's so funny?"

When her laughing died down, she sighed and looked at him.

"Tundra is the colloquial Arabic word for a cooking pot." At that, they both laughed.

They continued talking through the evening. Even though they were in the centre of Arktica, she felt the warmth of comfort knowing that her brother was alive.

After a while they quietened, having said all they could. Kuai looked out of the window. Noticing that it was dark, he stood up.

"Sorry, but I need to give the night-patrollers their orders. I'll let you sleep in my chambers for tonight, and I'll send a group of Lin Kuei to escort you back home in the morning."

She nodded and watched him leave the room. As he reached the door, though, she couldn't help but ask what had been on her mind the whole evening.

"Kuai!" he turned around. "What will you do with the Shirai Ryu that attacked me?"

"Scorpion." He replied, telling her the name that she already knew. "Why do you need to know?" he asked.

She shrugged. "What's Karma got in store for him?" she tried to make herself sound like she hated him.

He looked to the side, then back at her.  
"He will be executed at dawn." He said solemnly, then exited the room.

Once the door closed, Lace was left in unbearable silence. She sat there, alone, staring at the roof. She shook her head slowly then put them in her hands, sighing.

She now had to make a decision that would scar her no matter which option she took.

Will she complete her mission, or go against orders? Will she kill Sub-zero, or watch Scorpion die?

What is more important, your heart or your blood?

_There has to be another way…_


End file.
